EVIDENCE-BASED INTERGENERATIONAL PRACTICES SUPPORT AFU PRINCIPLES

Abstract Theory and research informed a framework of best intergenerational practice that has proven effective in the field of community programs. Reflecting a number of AFU principles, this set of proven practices can promote positive intergenerational contact in college classrooms as well. Here, we present evidence-based and promising practices salient to the AFU, offering examples from the classroom and suggesting low- and high-tech solutions. For example, the intergenerational practices of offering meaningful roles and engaging youth and older adults in a novel activity can support AFU principle 4 reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages. Stakeholders, including instructors, university students, older adult learners, and community partners, benefit from preparation for the distinctive needs and opportunities of intergenerational learning experiences in higher education. Effective implementation of intergenerational strategies helps both younger and older learners to reimagine aging, offering the potential to address a critical need of individuals and communities.


MAKING CLASSROOMS MORE AGE-FRIENDLY: STRATEGIES FOR INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGE
Chair: Joann Montepare Co-Chair: Kimberly Farah Discussant: Lisa Borrero Aging populations are reshaping how we think about teaching and learning in higher education. As a result, educational opportunities for intergenerational exchange are on the rise with the growth of the Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative. Endorsed by GSA's Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education, the AFU principles call for promoting intergenerational exchange to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages. Age diverse classrooms and learning spaces have distinctive needs and dynamics that instructors, and students, will need to learn how to navigate. This collaborative symposium, that brings together members of the Age-Friendly University (AFU) and Intergenerational Learning, Research, and Community Engagement (ILRCE) Interest Groups, will explore evidenced-based practices that contribute to successful experiences in and beyond the classroom. Montepare and Farah will provide an overview of the AFU initiative and intergenerational classroom issues. Jarrott and colleagues will address how technology and other strategies can prepare individuals for intergenerational learning experiences, including when circumstances limit in-person opportunities, such as during COVID. Dauenhauer and Heffernan will share insights from faculty about ways to develop and sustain a lifelong learning program that incorporates intergenerational interactions in the classroom experience. Leedahl will discuss strategies for developing age-friendly intergenerational internship experiences with community partners. Borrero, co-convener of the ILRCE Interest Group, will serve as the discussant.

THE AGE-FRIENDLY UNIVERSITY (AFU) INITIATIVE AND THE CALL FOR MORE AGE-FRIENDLY INTERGENERATIONAL CLASSROOMS
Joann Montepare, Lasell University, Newton, Massachusetts, United States Changing age demographics are reshaping societies and challenging our living, learning, and work communities to consider how they can respond to more age-diverse, older populations. The pioneering Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative, endorsed by GSA's Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), calls for institutions of higher education to respond to these shifting demographics through more age-friendly programs, practices, and partnerships. Moreover, the 10 AFU Principles recommend a set of specific educational options including the promotion of intergenerational learning to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages. This presentation provides an overview of the AFU initiative with a focus on strategies for intergenerational teaching and learning. It sets the stage for the other presentations by describing core questions and considerations educators should take into account when mounting intergenerational practices in and beyond the classroom. Theory and research informed a framework of best intergenerational practice that has proven effective in the field of community programs. Reflecting a number of AFU principles, this set of proven practices can promote positive intergenerational contact in college classrooms as well.

EVIDENCE-BASED INTERGENERATIONAL PRACTICES SUPPORT AFU PRINCIPLES
Here, we present evidence-based and promising practices salient to the AFU, offering examples from the classroom and suggesting low-and high-tech solutions. For example, the intergenerational practices of offering meaningful roles and engaging youth and older adults in a novel activity can support AFU principle 4 reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages. Stakeholders, including instructors, university students, older adult learners, and community partners, benefit from preparation for the distinctive needs and opportunities of intergenerational learning experiences in higher education. Effective implementation of intergenerational strategies helps both younger and older learners to reimagine aging, offering the potential to address a critical need of individuals and communities. Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less is known about the systems of support needed at the organizational level to promote intergenerational learning within lifelong learning initiatives. With a focus on formal and informal organizational structures, this session describes insights from faculty who opened their courses to older adults as part of a college-wide course auditing initiative. Many did not understand their own role in the program and offered suggestions to address these issues. Recommendations include ways to acknowledge the work of faculty who participate in the program, and to engage more professors and older adults in the community to ensure program success. To create an age-inclusive, and age-friendly university, formal structural change led from the top-down is as important, if not more important, as creating informal networks that start at the faculty level.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: A STUDENT INTERNSHIP MODEL THAT BUILDS AGE FRIENDLINESS AND CAREER READINESS Skye Leedahl, Kristin Fratoni Souza, and Alexandra Morelli, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, United States
For seven years, the University of Rhode Island (URI) Engaging Generations Cyber-Seniors Program has utilized university student mentors through an internship format and integration within service learning courses. In 2019, community interest in the program significantly increased as did student interest in gerontology internships. This led us to develop a robust internship program focused on building age and digital inclusivity across campus and the state of RI. The program integrates a three-pronged approach where students complete field hours within the URI Cyber-Seniors program, focus on enhancing the Career Readiness Competencies employers seek in graduates today as determined by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and complete the components necessary to earn the Geriatric Education Center Interprofessional Teamwork in Geriatrics and Gerontology Certificate. This process has enabled 350 students from different majors, including Pharmacy and Human Development & Family Science, to complete internship experiences ranging from 30 to 210 hours.

MARGRET M. AND PAUL B. BALTES AWARD PRESENTATION AND LECTURE Chair: Tamara Baker
The Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Award Lecture will feature an address by the 2021 Baltes Award recipient, Laura B. Zahodne, PhD, of the University of Michigan. This session will also include the presentation of the 2022 Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Award to recipient Eric S. Kim, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. The Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology recognizes outstanding early-career contributions in behavioral and social gerontology. The award is generously funded by the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation.

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL RISK AND RESILIENCE PATHWAYS IN DEMENTIA INEQUALITIES Laura Zahodne, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
In the United States, racial/ethnic inequalities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias persist even after controlling for socioeconomic factors and physical health. Persistent and unexplained disparities suggest: (1) there are unrecognized dementia risk factors that are socially patterned and/or (2) known dementia risk factors exhibit differential impact across social groups. This talk will present data from multiple longitudinal studies of brain and cognitive aging to support each possibility. On average, marginalized racial/ethnic groups are more likely than non-Latinx Whites to experience structural and interpersonal discrimination, social and economic constraints, as well as barriers to accessing high quality education. However, these same groups also show evidence of greater psychosocial resilience that is linked to better late-life cognitive health. This talk will demonstrate how specific psychosocial factors can contribute to or offset dementia disparities, illustrate major challenges to this work, and introduce new data collection efforts to advance the field.

NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY AS IT RELATES TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS
Chair: Regina Wright Co-Chair: Alyssa Gamaldo Discussant: Anna Lee With the burgeoning older adult population, there will be an increased demand for neighborhood environments that are conducive to successful aging. For example, the need for affordable and usable housing developments for older adults that provide greater opportunities for social engagement, social services, and convenience to neighborhood resources (e.g., grocery stores, healthcare) will continue to rise. Several initiatives have sought to develop age-friendly neighborhoods, which focused on improving accessibility and affordability of community resources. However, limited effort has focused on the health and cognitive effects of neighborhoodlevel socioeconomic disadvantage, with respect to neighborhood income, education, employment, and housing quality. This symposium will include presentations from two studies that explored how neighborhood disadvantage (measured by the Area Deprivation Index) relates to health and cognition. The objectives of the proposed symposium are the following: Innovation in Aging, 2022, Vol. 6, No. S1